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American screenwriter and director From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marcus Dunstan is an American screenwriter and director who, along with frequent collaborator Patrick Melton, wrote screenplay for the film Feast, which was the winner of Season Three of the filmmaking competition reality TV series Project Greenlight. Dunstan has since written the screenplays for Feast II: Sloppy Seconds, Feast III: The Happy Finish, and five films in the Saw franchise. Dunstan also directed and co-wrote the films The Collector, its sequel The Collection, and Unhuman.
Marcus Dunstan | |
|---|---|
Marcus Dunstan at 2012 New York Comic Con | |
| Born | Macomb, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, film director |
Dunstan was born in Macomb, Illinois. He spent his formative years working in movie theaters and studying film at the University of Iowa.[1]
While in college Dunstan experimented with 16mm film often using himself as the guinea pig in poorly executed stunts that left him dragging behind a car, the target of flying knives, and thrice being set on fire. He holds the record for spilling the most fake blood ever in a student film.[2] Since moving to Los Angeles in 1999, Dunstan toiled in several odd jobs including a retirement home, an Optometry clinic, and a video store while spending his nights writing on a computer borrowed from fellow screenwriter, Patrick Melton.[citation needed]
In March 2005, Dunstan and Melton won Season Three of Project Greenlight with their screenplay, Feast, which was directed by John Gulager. The film starred Krista Allen and Eric Dane, and was produced by Dimension Films and Neo Art & Logic.[3]
Dunstan has written the screenplays for Feast, Feast II: Sloppy Seconds, Feast III: The Happy Finish, The Collector, Saw IV, Saw V, Saw VI, and Saw 3D.[4] He is also in pre-production and post-production for several of his other screenplays.[5] In addition to writing the screenplay for The Collector, he directed the film. He also directed the sequel to The Collector, titled The Collection. The film, produced by Liddell Entertainment and Fortress Features, was released in 2012.[6][7]
In addition to writing and directing, he and writing partner Patrick Melton have made cameo appearances in Saw V, Supergator, Feast, and The Collector, appearing in the later two through the same puppet show clip shown on TV screens.[8] He, Melton, and Stephen Romano co-wrote the thriller novel Black Light - Don't Look Too Deep, which was published on October 5, 2011, over Mulholland Books as hardcover.[9] The novel will adapt in a feature film written by Melton and Dunstan, under the direction of Romano, Michael De Luca will produce for Warner Bros.[10] Dunstan co-wrote with Patrick Melton a screenplay for potential eleventh film of the Halloween franchise.[11]
In 2013, Melton and Dunstan were enlisted to perform uncredited rewrites on Pacific Rim when their spec script Monstropolis caught Guillermo del Toro's attention, and then were attached to a film version of God of War.[12] In October 2016, Dunstan, along with partner Melton, were selected to write for the adaptation of Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings.
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Feast | No | Yes | No | |
| 2007 | Saw IV | No | Yes | No | |
| 2008 | Feast II: Sloppy Seconds | No | Yes | No | |
| 2008 | Saw V | No | Yes | No | |
| 2009 | Feast III: The Happy Finish | No | Yes | No | |
| The Collector | Yes | Yes | No | Directorial debut | |
| Saw VI | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2010 | Saw 3D | No | Yes | No | |
| The Candidate | No | Yes | Yes | Short film | |
| 2012 | Piranha 3DD | No | Yes | No | |
| The Collection | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| 2016 | The Neighbor | Yes | Yes | Executive | |
| Rise | No | Yes | No | Short film | |
| Crazy Baby | No | Story | No | ||
| 2017 | Naked Fury | No | Yes | No | |
| 2019 | Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark | No | Story | No | |
| Into the Dark | Yes | Yes | No | Episode: "Pilgrim" | |
| 2022 | Unhuman | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2024 | AMFAD All My Friends Are Dead | Yes | No | No | |
| 2025 | Saw XI[13] | No | Yes | No |
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